Not Applicable
Not Applicable
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method for hatching bird eggs and, more particularly, to a method that increases the volume of fresh air to newly hatching chicks, while at the same time not upsetting the preset internal temperature and humidity settings in the hatcher.
2. Description of the Related Art
Egg hatcheries with hatcher equipment are well known in the art Commercial hatcheries place eggs in an incubator for a period of 18 days and then transfer eggs to a hatcher for the final three days. Chicks are hatched in a very confined area. A typical hatcher holds about 15,000 eggs in a space approximately 6xe2x80x2 high by 8xe2x80x2 wide by 6xe2x80x2 deep. Hatcher hallway room temperature, humidity and air pressure settings are kept the same throughout the three day hatch cycle. Fresh air enters the hatcher through a sliding damper door on top of the hatcher. This damper door is controlled by temperature sensors in the hatcher. If the temperature in the hatcher rises above the desired setting the damper door opens allowing fresh air to enter the hatcher from the hatcher hallway room. If temperature in the hatcher drops below the desired setting the damper door closes to within about xe2x85x9 of an inch thereby restricting the fresh air flow to chicks. One concern for operating a hatcher is to maintain the ambient air around the hatcher at an optimum temperature of between 70 and 80 degrees F. while maintaining the temperature within the hatcher at from 98.5 to 99 degrees F.
Current hatcher equipment that is used in hatchers does not allow for enough air volume to enter through the damper door in the hatcher to sustain life of all hatched birds during the list 24 hours of the 3 day hatch cycle before birds are pulled from the hatcher. If you follow the instructions for some current hatcher equipment, you maintain a relative humidity of from 45% to 60% with an optimum hallway temperature setting of 80 degrees F. and air pressure of 0.005 in. w.g. to 0.015 in. w.g. for systems with heating and mechanical cooling and 0.025 in. w.g. to 0.035 in. w.g. for systems with evaporative cooling. These setting are maintained throughout the entire three day hatch cycle. However, those settings do not allow the damper door to open far enough, nor is these sufficient air pressure to pump a sufficient volume of fresh air into the hatcher to benefit newly hatching chicks during the final 24 hour period of the 3 day hatch cycle before birds are pulled from the hatcher. These equipment manuals do not discuss the need for an increased volume of f air to be forced into the hatcher during the final 24 hours of the 3 day hatch cycle, nor a way to increase the volume of fresh air that flows into the hatcher.
Other concerns include maintain the proper humidity and mixture of goes within the hatcher equipment. A further concern for operating these hatcheries is to maintain a proper balance with the right temperature, and humidity in the hatcher to gain the optimum number of live hatched Chicks.
It must be remembered that in commercial hatcheries incubator and hatcher equipment are two separate pieces of equipment. Some patents for hatchery equipment address ways to maintain the desire temperature and humidity in an incubator and in a hatcher, but do not discuss or suggest a way to increase the volume of fresh air into a hatcher as chicks begin to hatch out, while at the same time not upsetting the preset internal temperature and humidity setting in the hatcher. For example: U.S. Pat. No. 5,025,619 to Cannon, Jun. 25, 1991, discussed an apparatus that maintain proper temperature by circulating hot or cold water through coils to either raise or lower the temperature to the desired setting. This apparatus is used in some incubators and some hatches. Cannon does not suggest a need to increase the volume of fresh air into the hatcher during the final 24 hours of the 3 day hatch cycle, nor a method to do so. U.S. Pat. No. 6,182,608 to Cannon, Feb. 6, 2001, discussed an apparatus that maintaing proper temperature by passing air though an enclosed serpentine path to draw heat from inside an insulated enclosure into the enclosed serpentine path. Again Cannon does not suggest a need to increase the volume of fresh air into the hatcher during the final 24 hours of the 3 day hatch cycle, nor a method to do so. U.S. Pat. No. 5,657,720 to Walters, Aug. 19, 1997, discussed an egg turning device and having a flow, temperate, and humidity preset and then electronically monitored. However Waltes does not suggest a need to increase the volume of fresh air into the hatcher during the final 24 hours of the 3 day hatch cycle, nor a method to do so. A common drawback of these three patents is that they do not suggest a need for an increased volume of fresh air during the fill 24 hours of the 3 day hatch cycle, nor a way to force an increased volume of fresh air into a hatcher as chicks begin to hatch out, while at the same time not upsetting the preset internal temperature and humidity settings in the hatcher.
Some of the problems hatcheries have experienced in the past are: temperature too low causing a slow hatch and a high number of chicks not fully hatched, thereby resulting in a lower live hatch percentage. Another problem hatcheries have experienced is not bank adequate ventilation. If the temperature in the hatcher halfway room is too low, the cooler air from the hallway enters the hatcher through the damper door causing the temperature to drop in the hatcher. Then temperature sensors in the hatcher causes the damper door to close to within approximately xe2x85x9 of an inch. This small of an opening does not allow for a sufficient volume of fresh air to enter the hatcher during the critical period 24 hours before the chicks are pulled from hatcher. Then lack of sufficient fresh air causes many of the chicks to either suffocate or experience the ill effects that comes from breathing high levels of carbon dioxides which causes many to die, thereby resume in a lower live hatch percentage and a higher seven day mortality percentage. The seven day morality percentage refers to any chicks that die within seven days of leaving the hatcher. This problem is often misdiagnosed as over heating.
Fertility percentages of egg is from 90 to 95 percent, however live hatch percentages range only from about 78 to 86 percent, indicating there is still room for improvement. There are a number of hatchers available commercially. While these prior art devices work for their intended purpose, they do not achieve the kinds of hatch rates that can be achieved by following the method that is described hereinafter. The reason their hatch rates are lower is that they do not address the need to increase the volume of fresh air into the hatcher during the final 24 hours of the 3 day hatch cycle as chicks begin to hatch out. Therefore, the need remains for an improved method to increase the volume of fresh air that flows to newly hatching chicks in the hatcher, especially during the final 24 hours before pull time, so as to increase number of live hatched chicks, while at the same time, not upsetting the preset internal temperature and humidity settings in the hatcher to properly hatch out the optimum number of eggs.
The object of this method is to increase the number of live birds hatched in a hatcher by providing an imposed volume of fresh air to chicks during the final 24 hours of the 3 day hatch cycle.
Another object of this method is to not upset the preset internal temperature and humidity setting in the hatcher while at the same time increasing the volume of fresh air to newly hatching chicks.
Another object of this method is to reduce a condition called red hock, reduce suffocation of chicks and to produce a healthier bird by limiting the ill effects breathing high levels of carbon dioxide has on newly hatched chicks by increasing the volume of fresh air flowing to them.
Yet another object of this method is to decrease the seven day mortality mate of chicks because they leave the hatchery stronger as a result of providing an increased volume of fresh air at time of hatching.
Still another object of this method is to make the live hatch percentages more consistent year round.
Still another object of this method is to improve the hatching ability of existing hatcher equipment without expensive modifications being made to the hatcher equipment.
This invention is a new method that increases the volume of fresh air in hatchers while at the same time not upsetting the preset internal temperature and humidity settings in the hatcher to produce a higher live hatch percentage.
Our method is designed to increase the volume of fresh air through the damper door in the hatcher especially during the final 24 hours before pull time. To get an increased volume of fresh air into the hatcher, the damper door must remain open. Therefore, our method is described as follows when eggs are transferred into the hatcher for the first two days hatcher hallway room settings remain at the factory setting then 24 hours before pull time, hatcher hallway room relative humidity should be at least 65% and air pressure at 0.01 PSI with temperature set at 82 degrees. We call this out start setting. Then about 16 hours before pull time, hatcher hallway room air pressure is increased to between 0.02 PSI and 0.06 PSI for heating and mechanical cooling systems and be 0.036 and 0.06 for evaporative cooling systems. In order for the hatching chicks to benefit from the increased volume of fresh air the damper door has to open wider. To cause the hatcher damper door to open wider you have to increase the temperature and/or humidity in the hatcher hallway room. Temperature can be increased to between 82 and 90 degrees nor increased the humidity to between 65% and 90% depending on the hatchery. Then about 10 hours before pull time raise the hatcher hallway room air pressure to been 0.06 PSI and 0.10 PSI and you must also increase the hatcher hallway room temperature accordingly in order to keep the damper door open because of the increased air pressure. The object is to keep the damper door wide open. You must remember that chicks are hatched in a very confined area, so as the chicks hatch out there is an ever increasing need for a greater volume of fresh air to be forced into the hatcher and a need to reduce the carbon dioxide level to the lowest level possible. This method will result in a healthier, stronger chick and a higher live hatch percentage.
This method tested at the following hatcheries: OK Foods hatchery, Ft. Smith, AR test resulted in a 3% gain in live hatch; ConAgra hatchery, Eldorado, AR test resulted in a 3% gain in live hatch. When extra maintain was done in the hatchery, an even higher percentage gain was achieved with this method.